Winn-Dixie has signed the lease to move into the former Bruno's grocery store in Inverness. (The Birmingham News file photo)

HOOVER, Alabama - Winn-Dixie is now definitely headed to Inverness Corners to fill the former Bruno's store at the intersection of U.S. 280 and Valleydale Road, the leasing agent for the shopping center said today.

After more than a year of lease negotiations, "it's now fully executed by both the tenant and the landlord," said Sam Heide, the leasing director for Bayer Properties, which represented the shopping center owner, LaSalle Investment Management.

Winn-Dixie will start construction in the 54,000-square-foot grocery space in March and hopes to be open by this fall, Heide said.

The grocer will be making a substantial investment in the property, and the owner will be making improvements to the façade and parking lot, Heide said.

LaSalle Investment Management, which also owns Inverness Plaza at the same intersection, is thrilled with the completion of the lease and hopeful it will breathe some new life into that area, Heide said.

"That whole corridor has struggled with vacancies over the last couple of years," he said. "This is something we can hang our hat on ... We think it's going to be a great thing for the Hoover community and our shopping center.

There aren't a lot of traditional grocery options in that area, so this will be a nice addition to the community, Heide said.

Inverness Corners has had some other vacancies, and the owners are hopeful that additional traffic that will come from Winn-Dixie will help fill those spots, he said.

Mead Silsbee, operating officer for Retail Specialists, which represented Winn-Dixie in the lease negotiations, said the company is very excited about the new location as well. "It's going to be good site in a very high-traffic area," he said.

Winn-Dixie will be using a design similar to the "transformational remodel" the company did with its store on Montevallo Road, Silsbee said. "It's been a very successful renovation project and a very upscale type grocery store."